Safe and reliable operation of a railroad system may be dependent upon the integrity of the rolling mechanisms of the vehicles travelling over the rails, such as trains. Worn or damaged train wheel bearings may increase the rolling friction of the axle thereby increasing the power required to pull the train. In addition, worn or damaged bearings may cause excessive wear to the train axle and, in the case of failure of the bearing, may even cause the axle to lock up, preventing rotation of the wheel and thus resulting in a potential fire hazard due to the heat build up and potential sparking caused by friction of the locked wheel scraping along the rail.
Bearing temperatures may be scanned by sensing a temperature of the wheel bearing indirectly through a bearing box surrounding the wheel bearing on a rail car of a train. When the bearing temperatures are high due to overheating of the wheel bearing a hot box condition may exists. For example, infrared radiation (IR) sensors may be mounted along a rail to detect IR energy emitted by an outer wheel bearing of passing rail cars. The IR energy may be indicative of a temperature of the wheel bearing.
Wheel temperatures may be scanned by sensing a temperature of the wheel directly. When the bearing temperatures are high due to overheating of the wheel a hot wheel condition may exist. For example, infrared radiation (IR) sensors may be mounted along a rail to detect IR energy emitted by an outer wheel bearing of passing rail cars. The IR energy may be indicative of a temperature of the wheel bearing.
However, such a system may be limited to bearing or wheel temperatures being scanned only at specific points on the railway paths. For rail car transporting potentially dangerous or dangerous cargo there may be a need for the bearing or wheel temperatures to be scanned continuously so that any changes in temperature may be detected within a short time.
The present disclosure is directed, at least in part, to improving or overcoming one or more aspects of the prior art system.